Preparation of copper indium gallium diselenide films for solar cells

ABSTRACT

High quality thin films of copper-indium-gallium-diselenide useful in the production of solar cells are prepared by electrodepositing at least one of the constituent metals onto a glass/Mo substrate, followed by physical vapor deposition of copper and selenium or indium and selenium to adjust the final stoichiometry of the thin film to approximately Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 . Using an AC voltage of 1-100 KHz in combination with a DC voltage for electrodeposition improves the morphology and growth rate of the deposited thin film. An electrodeposition solution comprising at least in part an organic solvent may be used in conjunction with an increased cathodic potential to increase the gallium content of the electrodeposited thin film.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/571,150, filed Dec. 12, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,852 which is a continuation-in-part of provisional application Ser. No. 60/004,269, filed Sep. 25, 1995.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The field of the present invention relates to the preparation of thin film semiconductor devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to electrodeposition of copper-indium-gallium-selenide films for solar cells.

2. Description of the Related Art

Chalcopyrite ternary thin films of copper-indium-diselenide (CuInSe₂) and copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CuIn_(1-x) Ga_(x) Se₂), both of which are generically referred to as Cu(In,Ga)Se₂, CIGS, or simply CIS, have become the subject of considerable interest and study for semiconductor devices in recent years. Sulphur can also be, and sometimes is, substituted for selenium, so the compound is sometimes also referred to even more generically as Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)₂ so as to encompass all of these possible combinations. These devices are also referred to as I-III-VI₂ devices according to their constituent elemental groups.

These devices are of particular interest for photovoltaic device or solar cell absorber applications. For photovoltaic applications, the p-type CIGS layer is combined with an n-type CdS layer to form a p-n heterojunction CdS/CIGS device. The direct energy gap of CIGS results in a large optical absorption coefficient, which in turn permits the use of thin layers on the order of 1-2 μm. An additional advantage of CIGS devices is their long-term stability.

Various methods have been reported for fabricating CIGS thin films. Some of the earliest techniques involved heating copper and indium on a substrate in the presence of a selenium-containing gas, including H₂ Se. The heating of copper and indium films in the presence of a selenium-containing gas is known as selenization. One drawback to selenizing with H₂ Se is that H₂ Se gas is highly toxic, thus presenting serious hazards to humans in large scale production environments.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,409, Eberspacher et al. disclose depositing copper and indium films by magnetron sputtering, and depositing a selenium film by thermal evaporation, followed by heating in the presence of various gases. Other methods for producing CIS films have included Molecular Beam Epitaxy, electrodeposition either in single or multiple steps, and vapor deposition of single crystal and polycrystalline films.

Although vapor deposition techniques have been used to yield solar cells with efficiencies as high as seventeen percent (17%), vapor deposition is costly. Accordingly, solar cells made by vapor deposition have generally been limited to devices for laboratory experimentation, and are not suitable for large scale production. On the other hand, thin film solar cells made by electrodeposition techniques are generally much less expensive. However, solar cells produced by electrodeposition generally suffer from low efficiencies. For example, in Solar Cells with Improved Efficiency Based on Electrodeposited Copper Indium Diselenide Thin Films, ADVANCED MATERIALS, Vol. 6 No. 5 (1994), Guillemoles et al. report solar cells prepared by electrodeposition with efficiencies on the order of 5.6%.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide an improved process for fabricating high quality thin film Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ solar cells.

It is also an object of this invention to provide low cost, high quality thin film solar cells having high conversion efficiencies.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a process for producing Cu--In, Cu--Se, Cu--In--Se, and Cu--In--Ga--Se thin films that have applications in solar and non-solar cells.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a process for electrodepositing a gallium-containing thin-film solar cell precursor.

To achieve the foregoing and other objects and advantages in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the process of this invention includes electrodepositing a layer of Cu_(x) In_(y) Ga_(z) Se_(n) (x=0-2, y=0-2, z=0-2, n=0-3), preferably using direct current in combination with alternating current, followed by vapor depositing additional copper and selenium or indium and selenium to adjust the final composition very close to stoichiometric Cu(In,Ga)Se₂. This unique two-step film deposition process allows precursor films to be deposited by inexpensive electrodeposition, and then adjusted using the more expensive but more precise technique of physical vapor deposition to bring the final film into the desired stoichiometric range. Solar cells may then be completed as for example by chemical bath deposition (CBD) of CdS followed by sputtering of ZnO, and addition of bi-layer metal contacts as well as optional anti-reflective coating. A solar cell made according to the present process has exhibited a device efficiency of 9.44%.

Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a CIGS photovoltaic device prepared according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the conducting zinc oxide layer 28 shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is the current vs. voltage performance plot of a CdS/CuInSe₂ solar cell prepared according to Example 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plot of relative quantum efficiency verses wavelength for the CdS/CuInSe₂ solar cell of Example 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention includes an essentially two-step process for fabricating high quality, low cost thin film CIGS semiconductor devices that exhibit photovoltaic characteristics and are especially adaptable for solar cell applications. In the first step, a precursor film of Cu_(x) In_(y) Ga_(z) Se_(n) (x=0-2, y=0-2, z=0-2, n=0-3) is electrodeposited on a substrate such as glass coated with molybdenum. This first step may include a unique process and electrodeposition bath for electrodepositing gallium concurrently with other elements, as well as the unique use of an alternating current in conjunction with a direct current.

The second step is physical vapor deposition of either Cu+Se or In+Se, either alone or in combination with Ga. In this second step the composition of the overall film is carefully controlled so that the resulting thin film is very close to stoichiometric Cu(In,Ga)Se₂. Both of these steps may be performed on substrates having large surface areas. Accordingly, the process of the present invention allows large area, high efficiency solar cells to be economically produced.

Referring now to FIG. 1, CdS/CIGS photovoltaic device 10 includes a substrate 12 which may be, for example, soda-lime silica glass or amorphous 7059 glass. Substrate 12 further includes a back contact layer 14 of molybdenum, about 1-2 μm thick. The molybdenum may be deposited using DC sputtering from a rotating cylindrical magnetron target (CMAG). To improve adhesion between the Mo layer 14 and the precursor film to be deposited, an additional adhesion layer 16 of copper may also be deposited as by electrodeposition. After Mo layer 14 and optional copper adhesion layer 16 have been deposited, the substrate should be degreased as for example with propanol and dried in flowing nitrogen gas.

A precursor film 18 is then deposited by electrodeposition. The precursor film contains one or more of the elements copper, indium, gallium, and selenium. Electrodeposition is generally a less expensive method of depositing these materials than vapor deposition. However, it is not possible to control the ratios of metals deposited during electrodeposition as precisely as desired. Consequently, prior CIGS layers deposited entirely by electrodeposition produced low conversion efficiencies. In the present invention, the electrodeposition step is integrated with the vapor deposition step that follows. This allows precursor material to be deposited in bulk using an economical electrodeposition step, followed by a vapor deposition step to carefully control the final elemental ratios. This results in economical production yet high efficiencies of the resulting cell. The composition of precursor film 18 is generally denoted as Cu_(x) In_(y) Ga_(z) Se_(n) (x=0-2, y=0-2, z=0-2, n=0-3). The precursor film 18 should be deposited to about 1-3 μm thick, with thickness being controlled by coulometric measurements.

It has been found that electrodepositing the films using an AC voltage in addition to a DC voltage produces improved results. An AC voltage improves the morphology of the film. It is also believed that the AC voltage improves nucleation (growth) of the thin film by allowing additional nucleation centers to be created. For an entirely aqueous plating solution, the applicable DC voltage range is approximately 1-5 VDC, with a preferred voltage of approximately 2 VDC. Improved results may be obtained by superimposing an AC voltage of 0.2-5.0 VAC at 1-100 Khz, with preferred values of approximately 0.3-1.0 VAC at 10-30 KHz. A value of approximately 0.45 VAC at approximately 18.1 KHz was found to yield good results. The plating solution is adjusted to have a pH of approximately 1.0 to 4.0, and more preferably to about 1.4 to 2.4. The plating solution should preferably be at about 10° C. to 80° C., and more preferably at about 24° C. Adding a supporting electrolyte to the plating bath can additionally increase the conductivity of the plating solution, allowing for a further increase in the electrodeposition rate. Salts such as NaCl, LiCl, or Na₂ SO₄ have been found to be suitable supporting electrolytes for use with certain embodiments of the present invention.

In completely aqueous solutions, electrolysis of water molecules begins to occur to an undesirable extent at approximately 2-3 volts. The resulting O²⁻ and OH⁻ ions combine with deposition metal ions or deposited metal to form unwanted metal oxides and hydroxides on the precursor film 18. To overcome this disadvantage, the water in the plating solution may be either partially or completely replaced by one or more organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Increasing the organic solvent content of the electrodeposition solution allows the cathodic potential to be increased without unacceptable increases in metal oxide and hydroxide formation rates. The increased cathodic potential increases the deposition rate of the precursor films. An additional advantage is that increasing the cathodic potential increases the deposition rate of gallium relative to the deposition rates of other deposited metals. Therefore, using a solution containing one or more organic solvents allows the cathodic potential to be selected from a wider range so as to achieve a more desired stoichiometry of the as-deposited precursor film 18. When an organic solvent is used, the preferred cathodic potential is approximately 3-10 VDC and 0.2-5.0 VAC at approximately 1-100 KHz. Value of approximately 5 VDC and 0.45 VAC at approximately 18.1 KHz were found to yield good results.

If desired, a second electroplating solution may be employed to adjust the stoichiometry of the electrodeposited film prior to the vapor deposition phase. For example, a first electrodeposition step may produce a CIGS precursor film with less gallium than optimally desired. Although the gallium content can be increased during the vapor deposition phase, it may be less expensive to deposit a certain amount of gallium using a second electrodeposition solution to make a coarse stoichiometric adjustment prior to proceeding to fine stoichiometric adjustment at the vapor deposition step. Another potential motivation for using a second electrodeposition solution is to achieve a composition gradient in the deposited film, as suggested by U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,266 issued to Michelsen et al. which is hereby incorporated by reference for its teachings of composition-graded CIGS thin films for solar cell and other applications. Yet another way of achieving composition grading during electrodeposition is to vary process parameters such as cathodic potential, ionic concentrations, pH, or temperature, as electrodeposition proceeds.

Several examples of electrodeposited precursor films fabricated according to the present invention are given. These examples include In--Se, Cu--Se, and Cu--In--Se precursor films. For these precursor films, Ga should be added to raise the energy gap. The Ga may be added by a separate electrodeposition step, though is preferably added at the vapor deposition step by vaporizing elemental gallium. An example is also given of a novel solution and process that allows Ga to be electrodeposited along with other precursor metals, to produce a Cu--In--Ga--Se precursor film electrodeposited in a single step. The solution includes ions of each of the elements of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium. These ions may be supplied in the form of dissolved metal salts.

After the precursor film 18 has been electrodeposited it should be cleaned. A suitable method is to rinse precursor film 18 with deionized water and dry it in flowing nitrogen gas. After precursor film 18 has been cleaned, an additional layer 20 of In+Se or Cu+Se, either alone or in combination with gallium, is deposited by physical vapor deposition to adjust the final film composition to the ratios of approximately Cu=1-1.2:(In,Ga)=1-1.2:Se=2-2.5, and most preferably to approximately 1:1:2. By controlling the ratio of In/Ga the energy gap between the CdS and the CIGS layers can be adjusted to the optimal or nearly optimal value. An energy gap of approximately 1.45 eV is considered optimal for terrestrial solar energy conversion, and is achieved by an In/Ga ratio of approximately 3:1. The substrate (precursor film) temperature should be 300° C. to 600° C. during PVD, and preferably about 550° C.

After PVD, the films should then be annealed. Annealing improves the homogeneity and quality of the films. A high quality CIGS film is one that does not exhibit an excessive amount of copper nodules, voids, or vacancies in the film which would reduce conversion efficiencies. Annealing the films at 250° C. to 500° C. in a vacuum, followed by slow cooling at a rate of approximately 3° C./min to avoid thermal shock was found to yield good results. Because selenium has a much higher vapor pressure than either copper, indium, or gallium, selenium may be lost from the film during the high temperature steps of vapor deposition and annealing. To compensate, the atmosphere during these steps may contain a moderate overpressure of selenium. In the preferred embodiment, the film is selenized at a rate of 5-100 Å/s during cool-down from PVD temperature to annealing temperature.

Once the CIGS layers 18 and 20 collectively are deposited and annealed, a thin layer 22 of n-type semiconductor comprising cadmium sulfide is deposited next. CdS layer 22 is preferably deposited by chemical bath deposition (CBD) to a thickness of approximately 200-1000 Å. The CBD bath may be prepared from 0.08 gm CdSO₄, 2.5 gm thiourea, and 27.5 gm NH₄ OH dissolved in 200 ml water. The deposition temperature should be approximately 40°-80° C.

A layer 28 of conducting wide bandgap n-type semiconductor materials is deposited next. In the preferred embodiment, layer 28 comprises two zinc oxide layers 24 and 26 as shown in FIG. 2. First zinc oxide layer 24 is deposited with RF sputtering at approximately 0.62 watts/cm² in an argon plasma at 10 millitorrs pressure. Second zinc oxide layer 26, comprising approximately 1-5% Al₂ O₃ -doped zinc oxide, is also prepared using RF sputtering at approximately 1.45 watts/cm² in an argon plasma at 10 millitorrs pressure. In an exemplary embodiment the resistivity of the first layer was 50-200 ohm/cm², and resistivity of the second layer was 15-20 ohm/cm². The transmissivity of the overall ZnO layer was 80-85%.

Bi-layer metal contacts 30 may then be prepared with an e-beam system or other techniques. In an exemplary embodiment a first metal contact layer was 500-1000 Å thick Ni and the second metal contact layer was 1-3 μm thick Al. Metal contacts 30 will generally be laid out in fine grid lines across the collecting surface of the device and connected to a suitable current collecting electrode (not shown). The efficiency of the resulting device can be further increased by adding an antireflection coating 32, such as a 600-1000 Å layer of MgF₂ by electron beam. A device prepared according to Example 3 below exhibited a conversion efficiency of 9.44%.

EXAMPLE 1

A precursor film of In₁₋₂ Se₁₋₃ was electrodeposited on glass substrates coated with a Mo or Mo/Cu layer approximately 500 Å thick. The precursor film was deposited using an electroplating solution containing 2.25 gm InCl₃ and 0.41 gm H₂ SeO₃ dissolved in 200 ml of water. The pH of the solution was adjusted between 1.4 and 2.4 using dilute HCl (10% by volume). The films were deposited by applying a 2-5 V direct current voltage in combination with an alternating current voltage of 0.45 V at 18.1 KHz frequency. The films were 1-3 μm thick and adhered to the substrate.

EXAMPLE 2

A precursor film of Cu₁₋₂ Se₁₋₃ was electrodeposited on a substrate using an electroplating solution containing 6.21 gm Cu(NO₃)₂ ·6H₂ O and 1.16 gm H₂ SeO₃ dissolved in 300 ml water. The pH was adjusted between 1.4 and 2.4 using dilute HCl (10% by volume). The films were deposited by applying a 2-5 V direct current voltage in combination with an alternating current voltage of 0.45 V at 18.1 KHz frequency. As deposited layers were 1-3 μm thick and adhered to the substrate.

EXAMPLE 3

A precursor film of Cu₁₋₂ In₁₋₂ Se₁₋₃ was electrodeposited on a substrate using an electroplating solution containing 4.47 gm CuCl₂, 5.67 gm InCl₃ and 3.39 gm H₂ SeSO₃ dissolved in 1050 ml water. The pH was adjusted between 1.4 and 2.4 using dilute HCl (10% by volume). The films were deposited by applying a 2-5 V direct current voltage in combination with an alternating current voltage of 0.45 V at 18.1 KHz frequency. As deposited layers were 1-3 μm thick and adhered to the substrate. The electrodeposited film was slightly indium poor. Indium was then added by vapor deposition to adjust the final content to approximately CuInSe₂. CdS and ZnO were then added to complete the solar cell. The resulting solar cell was exposed to ASTM E892-87 Global (1000 Wm⁻²) standard irradiance spectrum at 25° C. Performance parameters for the finished solar cell, having an area of 0.4285 cm², were measured as:

    ______________________________________                                         V.sub.oc =                                                                               0.4138 V      V.sub.Pmax =                                                                             0.3121 V                                     I.sub.sc =                                                                               15.40 mA      I.sub.Pmax =                                                                             12.96 mA                                     J.sub.sc =                                                                               35.94 mA cm.sup.-2                                                                           P.sub.max =                                                                              4.045 mW                                     Fill Factor =                                                                            63.47%        Efficiency =                                                                             9.44%                                        ______________________________________                                    

FIG. 3 is an I-V plot for the device. FIG. 4 is a plot of the relative quantum efficiency of the device. The device contained only Cu--In--Se, without any gallium. The device exhibited an efficiency of 8.76% without antireflective coating, and 9.44% after an antireflective coating was added. It is believed that by adding gallium the efficiency of the resulting cell could be improved to around fourteen percent (14%).

EXAMPLE 4

A precursor film of Cu₁₋₂ In₁₋₂ Ga₀.01-1 Se₁₋₃ was electrodeposited using a solution containing 1.12 gm Cu(NO₃)₂ ·6H₂ O, 12.0 gm InCl₃, 4.60 gm Ga(NO₃)₃ ·xH₂ O and 1.80 gm H₂ SeO₃ dissolved in 450 ml of water. This is equivalent to approximately 2.49 gm/l Cu(NO₃)₂ ·6H₂ O, 26.7 gm/l InCl₃, 10.2 gm/l Ga(NO₃)₃ ·xH₂ O and 4.0 gm/l H₂ SeO₃, and approximately 0.0084, 0.12, 0.28, and 0.31 molar of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium ions, respectively. The pH was adjusted between 1.4 and 2.4 using dilute HCl (10% by volume). The films were deposited by applying a 2-5 V direct current voltage in combination with an alternating current voltage of 0.45 V at 18.1 KHz frequency. As deposited layers were 1-3 μm thick and adhered to the substrate.

EXAMPLE 5

A precursor film of Cu₁₋₂ In₁₋₂ Ga₀.01-1 Se₁₋₃ was electrodeposited using a solution containing 1.496 gm Cu(No₃)·5H₂ O, 14.929 gm InCl₃, 1.523 gm H₂ SeO₃, and 7.192 gm Ga(NO₃)₃ dissolved in 450 ml of DMSO. The films were deposited at 25° C. and also at 50° C. at an applied voltage of 5 VDC.

EXAMPLE 6

A precursor film of Cu₁₋₂ In₁₋₂ Ga₀.01-1 Se₁₋₃ was electrodeposited using a solution containing 1.496 gm Cu(No₃)·5H₂ O, 14.929 gm InCl₃, 1.523 gm H₂ SeO₃, and 7.192 gm Ga(NO₃)₃ dissolved in a mixture of 400 ml DMSO and 50 ml water. The films were deposited at 25° C. and also at 50° C. at an applied voltage of 5 VDC.

EXAMPLE 7

A precursor film of Cu₁₋₂ In₁₋₂ Ga₀.01-1 Se₁₋₃ was electrodeposited using a solution containing 1.496 gm Cu(No₃)·5H₂ O, 14.929 gm InCl₃, 1.523 gm H₂ SeO₃, 7.192 gm Ga(NO₃)₃, and 10 gm Na₂ SO₄, and 20 gm LiCl dissolved in a mixture of 400 ml DMSO and 50 ml water. The films were deposited at 25° C. and also at 50° C. at an applied voltage of 5 VDC.

The present invention as described above may be incorporated in a variety of applications, as for example the conversion of solar energy to electric energy for baseline power generation. Other applications include appliances such as solar-powered calculators, battery charges such as those used with freeway emergency call boxes, photoelectric eyes, night security light activators, light meters for photographic and other purposes, and the like.

Although the present invention has thus been described in detail with regard to the preferred embodiments and drawings and examples thereof, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various adaptations and modifications of the present invention may be accomplished without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the detailed description and the accompanying drawings as set forth hereinabove are not intended to limit the breadth of the present invention, which should be inferred only from the following claims and their appropriately construed legal equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for electrodepositing a solar cell precursor thin film, the process comprising the steps of:electrodepositing a thin film containing copper, indium, gallium, and selenium onto a substrate, the electrodeposition proceeding in an electrodeposition solution comprising copper, indium, gallium, and selenium ions.
 2. The process of claim 1, wherein said electrodeposition solution comprises copper, indium, gallium, and selenium ions at concentrations of approximately 0.0084, 0.12, 0.28, and 0.31 molar, respectively.
 3. The process of claim 2, wherein said electrodeposition solution comprises approximately 2.49 gm/l Cu(NO₃)₂ ·6H₂ O, 26.7 gm/l InCl₃, 10.2 gm/l Ga(NO₃)₃, and 4.0 gm/l (H₂ SeO₃).
 4. The process of claim 1, wherein the electrodeposition solution has a pH of approximately 1.0-4.0.
 5. The process of claim 1 wherein the electrodeposition proceeds at a DC voltage of 1-10 V.
 6. The process of claim 5 wherein the electrodeposition proceeds at a superimposed AC voltage of approximately 0.2-5.0 V at a frequency of approximately 1-100 KHz.
 7. The process of claim 6 wherein said superimposed AC voltage is approximately 0.45 VAC at a frequency of approximately 18.1 KHz.
 8. The process of claim 1 wherein the electrodeposition solution further comprises at least one organic solvent, and the electrodeposition proceeds at a DC voltage of approximately 3-10 volts. 